Maryland film didn't make Kirk Ferentz feel any better

“The film pretty much reconfirmed what we suspected on Saturday,” Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday of a 38-31 loss at Maryland. “We just didn’t play well enough to win and they did. So the credit goes to them.”(Photo: Mitch Stringer/USA TODAY Sports)

"The film pretty much reconfirmed what we suspected on Saturday," Iowa's football coach said of a 38-31 loss at Maryland. "We just didn't play well enough to win, and they did.

"So the credit goes to them."

The Hawkeyes (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten Conference) are off this weekend, before hosting Northwestern Nov. 1. Players will practice Wednesday and Thursday, then take a break until Sunday.

"We've got to improve if we expect to win our next five ballgames," Ferentz said during a Tuesday teleconference. "That's the challenge ahead."

Iowa still controls its own fate in the Big Ten's West Division, but sweeping past Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska seems unlikely without a significant upgrade in performance.

"Basically, we're just going to try to regroup here a little bit," Ferentz said. "We've got five very important games coming up. We'll see what we can do to get ready for those five games."